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The new year is fast approaching, and for golf fans and punters from around the world that means there will soon be another calendar full of gold majors to keep us all occupied for another year. 2013 Golf Majors The major championships in gold in 2013 begin with their traditional first stop in Augusta, Georgia. The world's top professionals will battle it out for the prestigious US Masters green jacket and first bragging rights for year over a four-day event from April 11-14 at the Augusta National Golf Club Next in line is the US Open, which takes place June 13-16 at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Then comes the trip across the pond on July 18-21 for the British Open at Muirfield, East Lothian in Scotland. And finally it all wraps up with the US PGA Championship on August 8-11 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Top Contenders With more than four months until the first major of the year, there is still plenty of time for betting enthusiasts to decide on their US Masters top 2013. All the usual suspects can be found in the early betting odds, but it might be worth considering that an underdog quite often breaks through. Tiger Woods will be back for what will hopefully be a full, uninterrupted year of gold. His main rivals in the running for the Masters appear to be the likes of Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Luke Donald, and Lee Westwood. A total of 25 names can be found in William Hill's US Masters 2013 betting odds, with more set to be added later when all participants are known. Where to BetWilliam Hill is one of the obvious choices for golf betting, offering odds on all the major tournaments in 2013. Visitors to the online betting site can already view odds for the US Masters and Open Championship, as well as major specials for Tiger Woods and season specials for all the top-ranking players.Betfair is another strong option, with odds on the Masters and Open, as well as season specials that challenge punters to choose who they think will end the year as the PGA Tour's number one ranked player. They too have odds on a range of other tournaments, including the Race to Dubai and the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. Visitors to Betfair's site will notice that it has improved of late, after adding new features including improved In-Play functionality, Fixed Odds Singles and an updated look and feel. This makes betting a lot more fun than usual, and that include sports betting on golf majors and tournaments in 2013.
Slot games, "fruities", or "pokies" as they were called once, carry with them all sorts of connotations from back in the day of arcade games. Nowadays, video slot games form part of people's day-to-day entertainment, and nothing illustrates this best than a recent study by the Oregon State University profiling the average player as a middle-class woman in her late fifties. This is quite a dramatic shift from the anachronistic stereotype of a lower-income, young, male slots player. How women have taken the slot scene by storm Globally, female online slot players greatly outnumber male players. How do we explain that change? A well-grounded theory lies in the surge in popularity of social online games - free, community-based games like Farmville and Magicland. These light, social games have attracted a majority female audience looking for brief bursts of entertainment to break up their day. It is interesting to note that these games operate using a very similar mechanic to video slot games:1) Paying for gamesPlayers willingly invest in virtual items on Farmville, safe in the knowledge that they will never see that money again. So, bit by bit, spending money on screen games has been embraced by social groups who wouldn't have done otherwise. And it's easy to see which games are now actively targeting that demographic: The 'Deal or No Deal' slot game, as offered by William Hill and Betfair; Monopoly and 'Wheel of Fortune' on 888 slots.2) Random RewardsBoth social gaming and slot gaming offer prizes at random and in unpredictable amounts, with no pattern to be discerned. This system has been proven, time after time, to produce the highest level of player engagement. Random rewards seem to provide players with the highest thrill, the highest sense of adrenaline and enjoyment.Social gaming aside, there are some hard and fast reasons why online slot games would more attract older, female players, than say roulette or blackjack.3) Instant gratificationThere is simply something irresistible about short, sharp games with instant results - sorry that's just how humans have been wired by Mother Nature. Different studies have shown that people will spend more time overall, playing 2-second slot games than 10-second slot games. Quick games are just more-ish.3) Return on InvestmentSimply put - slots are cheap and bring colossal rewards. There are few other online games where a dollar can make you a million, but online slot games are one of them offering staggering jackpots. So you've gambled minimum money, time and effort. Ker-ching.With that in mind, games designers have broadened out the already huge variety of slot games on the market, with offerings such as Lucky Ladies, Zodiac Supernova and Pet Luck, all available on Bet365 games.
Even small countries that ban gambling can lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue each year, as a study published this week in Israel has shown. Betting: Boost for economy Legalizing just half of Israel's illegal gambling on sporting events would be worth NIS 1.2 billion ($300 million) in taxes, according to a new study on sports betting. The study estimated that NIS 12.5 billion is spent each year on sports betting, of which around NIS 11 billion is conducted illegally. The study, produced by two Israeli economists, concludes that lack of legal sports betting in essence harms gamblers and sports associations. It recommends that regulating these activities would hurt criminal groups that use illegal gambling to generate earnings, as well as reduce attempts at match fixing. Cleaning up sports Online betting was worth an estimated $51 billion in 2012. Yet somehow many countries - including the United States - still enforce bans, failing to understand that by regulating the practice they would actually encourage responsible gambling and simultaneously boost their own flagging revenues. In fact, the International Monetary Fund estimates that illegal gambling activities bring in $1.5 trillion to $3 trillion a year, accounting for 2-5% of the world's gross national product and about 10% of world trade.
The hottest topic in both the Beltway and in betting agencies is Hillary Clinton 2016. Yes, the 2016 US presidential election betting action is underway! Current polls say that Florida Senator Marco Rubio is the top pick for the GOP presidential nod, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the overwhelming choice for the Democrats. With regards to Clinton, the bookmakers couldn't agree more. Ladbrokes opens 2016 race betting with Clinton as clear favourite According to online bookmaker Ladbrokes, Clinton - who has already achieved a record of sorts as the FIRST First Lady to hold public office (as US senator) - may well attain another one as the first female US president. Ladbrokes says that Clinton is trading as an 11/2 favorite to win the 2016 race - with no one nearly close enough save perhaps Vice President Joe Biden at 16/1. Interestingly, too, after eight years of a Democratic presidency the Democrats are trading even to keep the White House (the Republicans are at 8/11). William Hill and other bookmakers favor Hillary too The world's biggest bookmaker, William Hill, has named Hillary Clinton as their 5/2 favorite to be the next US president. She is followed by Jeb Bush at 6/1, Joe Biden and Martin O'Malley tied at 8/1, Andrew Cuomo at 9/1, and Marco Rubio at 10/1. Meanwhile, Paddy Power is taking bets for Clinton at 7/2, Paul Ryan at 8/1, Marco Rubio at 10/1, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie both at 12/1; while Bet365 is also putting its money on Clinton at 5/5. The politics of betting While betting on political elections is outlawed in the US, in the UK, US presidential elections have proven to be great money-makers for betting agencies. The last election alone generated more than £1 million ($1.5 million) worth of bets for William Hill, with up to $16 million reportedly bet across the betting industry. But it's not just about the money alone. According to William Hill spokesman Graham Shape, the last election also proved that bookies (more than pollsters) may be better indicators of election outcomes, especially a very close race. The fact is, UK bookies beat even the US media in calling the 2012 election for Obama!
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The wind of change isn't blowing; it's positively howling. From the way we make money to the way we meet our future spouses - every aspect of our lives is undergoing nothing short of a two-phase revolution. First came the internet, followed by its natural successor - the mobile device - the smartphone and the tablet. Of course it is far too early to even start measure the impact of this technological innovation. Suffice to say, however, modern life is in the fast lane of change: our access to information has undergone a total upheaval - instant and democratized; the way we consume becoming more customized and more immediate. Free Apps and free media have changed business models and advertising forever and on the flip-side consumers have been given the platform to show their ingenuity and canny with the birth of community websites such as AirBnB, Freecycle and Couchsurfing. Mobile GamblingThe online gambling industry is wise to this mantra of accessibility, with some casino operators designing products exclusive to mobile devices: mFortune offers an ever-growing range of slots and poker games to its players; as does Moobile which for the moment is only available to UK residents. Red Flush Casino launched its Android service earlier this month - a slick, well-designed product with secure banking services; and the Betfair offering is a fully interactive multi-media experience with In-Play and split-screen functions. Social Gaming Meanwhile, social gaming industry is hoping to following suite, by piloting real-money games on Facebook. Whilst the US is reviewing its online gambling regulations, the 'Bingo and Slots Friendzy' game is being piloted in the UK, which has looser regulations and a player demographic thought similar to the US. Zynga is also interested in developing its games in the same direction and is hopeful of an imminent change in legislation in the US.
Playtech, one of the world leaders in online gambling software development, this week became the first international provider an online slots and progressive games network to the Italian market. More than 30 games Following the launch, over 30 of Playtech's top progressive and online video slots go live in Italy. Among the games are such global favorites as The Mummy, Pink Panther, Monty Python's Spamalot and nine marvel brand. Each game has been tailored to the Italian market with special features. Given the popularity of land-based video slot machines, this launch comes as great news for Italian online gamblers - who have been waiting patiently for the big guns like Playtech to bring their world-renowned games to the local market. Play at William HillWilliam Hill Casino Italy is just one of the leading Playtech-powered online casinos that launched these games to Italians this week. This top brand is already favored by Italians for sports betting, poker and other gaming, and it will only increase in popularity when locals discover these new games. Italians can register at William Hill Casino now to claim a generous €300 welcome bonus and to begin playing these 30 great games and receiving other casino bonus opportunities.
Over the last year, Zynga, long time social gaming developer has fallen off the revenue horse and dropped from a private, Pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO) valuation of $14 billion to a meager $2 billion. In the past, Zynga was focused on the Facebook gaming platform and things were looking great, but over the last 12 months, Zynga failed to grow and totally missed the iOS and Android markets. An announcement stating that Zynga will be focusing its efforts on real-money gaming has the stock up 10 points and the company is now undergoing a revamp to their brand and they are asking internal questions about who they want to be in the long term. Real-Money Gambling License Application On December 4th the Nevada Gaming Control Board confirmed that the company had actually filed an application to see if they can receive a license for real-money gambling in the US. It is true that it would take up to 18 months before any approval will be issued but news of this decision to make the move into real-money gaming has the stock bouncing around Wall Street. Zynga does not want to rush into anything and with good reason, making a premature move into the industry could produce a questionable product in a realm with so many heavy hitters. Online Casinos Benefit Online gambling and especially online casinos and online casino games would benefit from a company such as Zynga, who basically revolutionized the idea of social gaming on the Facebook platform. Zynga already shares much of the same characteristics of other gambling companies and that can be seen on the games they have already developed. Even the staff at Zynga is in love with gambling and when the company is up, select development teams are sent to play at land based casinos in sin city as reward. It has also been said that the upper management there can more than hold there own at the poker table.Zynga will be welcomed with open arms into the real-money gambling industry and I truly believe it will happen sooner than later
The Mummy is a 5-reel, 25-payline, Playtech-manufactured video slot that brings to life the film of the same name, and can be found at many of the best online casino on the Web. The Mummy This slot is packed with six incredible bonus features, and the amount you win depends on which feature you pick. Collect bonuses from Extra Scatters, Expanding Wilds, Collapsing Reels, and more. This literally has all Playtech's special slot features packed into the one game. The features begin with the Lost City Adventure Bonus, which combines the mystery of the film with a big prize-winning opportunity. This bonus round locks other special features, but as you continue you are able to unlock more and more features until ultimately you are able to select from all six. Where to play As is so often the case with the most innovative video slots, Playtech is the name behind this great game. You'll find The Mummy at all the leading Playtech online casinos, and if you're lucky you might even be able to use it with a deposit or special game-specific bonus. William Hill Casino, bet365 Casino, Winner Casino and Euro Grand Casino are among the top Playtech casinos offering this game. Existing account holders have instant access to the Mummy slot game, but signing up is easy so in reality everybody is just five minutes away from playing this great title.
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